Nearly 60 people killed in Iraq bomb attacks

Nearly sixty people have been killed in a series of bomb attacks across Iraq as the country prepares for parliamentary elections.

The deadliest incident on Monday occurred in the Kurdish populated town of Khanaqin where 30 people were killed and 50 others injured after a bombing targeted a political gathering.

People had gathered to watch television footage of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani casting his ballot in Germany.

“Suddenly we heard a big explosion. I wanted to turn my car around to go back home, but I couldn’t because people were running towards me. Most of their clothes were covered in blood,” a witness said.

According to reports, 27 members of the Iraqi security forces were also killed in a series of bomb attacks across the country on the same day.

Iraqi soldiers and policemen began voting on Monday, two days before the national elections, in order to be able to provide security for the main polling event on April 30.

The vote is Iraq’s first parliamentary elections since US forces withdrew in 2011 and is a major test for the security forces. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is hoping to win a third term.

Meanwhile, Takfiri groups, including the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), are reportedly coming to Iraq from neighboring Syria and Saudi Arabia to undermine security in the country.

The government in Baghdad has blamed Riyadh for the chaos in Iraq, saying Saudi Arabia is funding and arming militants fighting against Iraqi forces in the country’s western areas, including Anbar province.